Sonic Boom moves out of the Annex (technically), but really, it’s only a block away

Moving this many of Sonic Boom’s records, even one block, is bound to be a hassle (Image: Jacob Stefan Senko)

News appeared on Twitter this afternoon that music retailer to the hipster crowd, Sonic Boom, is being evicted from its shop on the north side of Bloor and punted over to some space in Honest Ed’s. According to the city’s own website, that means it’s technically no longer inside the Annex. We can only imagine that the Annex crowd —the ones who congregate outside Lee’s Palace on any given night— were irritated by the news that a Dollarama is moving in. According to the Globe and Mail:

Sonic Boom owner Jeff Barber called it “incredibly infuriating and frustrating” that the record store, which has been at 512 Bloor St. West for 10 years, wasn’t given an opportunity to extend its lease.

He said his landlord informed him that the space will be used to house a Dollarama, which caused an enormous stir in the social media universe. Representatives from the dollar-store chain did not immediately return requests for comment.

Mr. Barber said having a chain store like that replace his independent business “added insult to injury.” He said he offered to match the new tenant’s rent or perhaps even purchase the building, but was not given the chance.

What with losing the Green Room, maybe bringing in Silver Snail, temporarily closing the Bloor Cinema and now this, it’s like the Annex is being assaulted by alien forces determined to undermine the shops and institutions that defined the neighbourhood for so long. And of course, this wouldn’t be complete without us speculating how long Honest Ed’s itself will be around before it gets closed down and turned into condos. With Dollarama moving in, not even the garish lights of the late Ed Mirvish are sacred—just ask Sam the Record Man.